


A System of Systems

by coreopsis



Series: cyborg au [1]
Category: Alkaline Trio (Band), Bandom, Bob Bryar fandom
Genre: AU, M/M, RPS - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-03
Updated: 2010-10-03
Packaged: 2017-10-12 09:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coreopsis/pseuds/coreopsis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the prompt "random cyborg AU, Setting: chop shop" and the shoulder square in Kiss Bingo</p>
            </blockquote>





	A System of Systems

**Author's Note:**

> For Mahoni.

Matt lowered his safety glasses onto his face and applied his laser to Bob's elbow joint, fine tuning it before he said, "Try it now."

Ignoring how the open flap of skin flopped around when he moved, Bob bent and straightened his arm, then leaned over and picked up a heavy chunk of disassembled robot off the floor. He lifted it up over his head and pulled it down to his chest before lowering it to the floor. His servos were perfectly silent even with the added weight, but... "It feels a little tight. Like...my reaction time might be a little off in a fight. I can't have that."

"Hmmm." Matt took Bob's wrist in one hand and braced his other hand on Bob's shoulder. With the new artificial skin Matt and his team had acquired from somewhere--Bob learned not to ask--Bob could feel the warmth of each fingertip pressing into his wrist just as easily as he could feel the firm press of Matt's palm on the natural skin of his shoulder.

The "oh, wow" slipped out of Bob's mouth before he could stop it.

Matt stopped manipulating Bob's arm in different directions and stroked Bob's wrist lightly. "We're working on finding you some pain and pleasure sensors. Danny thinks he's got a lead in New York."

"Yeah? Well, tell him not to be in a hurry to find the pain ones," Bob said with huff of laughter.

"Well, they're really the same thing--your brain just interprets the signals differently. You are basically a very complex system of systems, and that one is probably the most fascinating. Besides, I told you that the ability to feel pain will keep you from doing extensive damage to yourself." Bob wouldn't meet Matt's earnest gaze, so Matt went back to bending and twisting his arm, occasionally making minor adjustments with his laser tool.

Bob focused his gaze on his left leg, which looked deceptively normal under his jeans but was a constant reminder of just how much pain he could endure, and said quietly, "It doesn't always work that way."

Even though he didn't look up, Bob knew that Matt was frowning and trying to come up with something sympathetic and _meaningful_ to say even though there wasn't anything that Bob hadn't heard before. He waved his natural hand in a short, dismissive gesture and said, "But if I never did any damage to myself, I wouldn't have a reason to come see you."

With a fleeting smile, Matt pushed his safety glasses onto the top of his head as he moved over to his work bench and started digging through his tools. His back was to Bob when he said, "You don't need an excuse to come see me. Anytime, day or night."

Bob wished he could see his face, but when he turned back holding a shiny thing that ended in a very long, very sharp needle, Bob pushed Matt's comment to the back of his mind. "What the hell are you going to do with that?"

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," Matt said with a evil grin that made Bob smile back without even meaning to. He picked up his scanner in the hand not holding the terrifying needle-tipped tool, and came back to Bob's side. "Seriously, Bob, relax. You know I'm not going to hurt you."

"Yeah, until you install pain sensors," Bob said, but he did make an effort to relax. He slouched a little on the tall chair Matt had sat him in and tried not to tense up when Matt scanned his entire arm and then jabbed the needle into his elbow. He didn't feel anything, but the primal urge to pull away almost overpowered his common sense. He turned his head to the side, and focused on a pile of mechanical limbs on a table on the other side of the shop. He tried to name all the models of robots the appendages came from and he was still puzzling over a particular claw-tipped leg when Matt put down the tools and moved behind him.

Bob sat up straight as Matt reached around him and lifted Bob's elbows in his hands. "Okay, I want you to bend and stretch and twist both arms at the same time and tell me how they compare."

Distracted by Matt's arms around him, Bob took a few seconds to catch up with what he was supposed to do. "Um. Yeah, okay," he stuttered out as he followed Matt's directions. Matt dropped his hands and Bob missed them. He mentally shook himself and focused on how his joints felt when he moved them. "That's better. The mechanical one is as smooth as the real--" Matt thumped him on the back of the head and Bob corrected, "I mean, the biological one. Yeah, it's...it's all good now."

Matt wrapped his arms around Bob and pressed his lips to Bob's shoulder and muttered against his skin, "See? How hard was that?"

A dirty rejoinder pushed its way to the forefront of Bob's mind, but he felt too tongue-tied and uncertain to go there, even as a joke. The warmth of Matt's mouth spread all through Bob's body and he would have almost sworn he could even feel it in his mech parts. He was still getting used to it when Matt pulled away with a shaky little laugh and moved around to face Bob. "Sorry. I forgot myself for a moment. Misread the situation ...you know, Derek's always saying I should--"

"Matt," Bob said firmly to cut off the babble. "It's all right. It's not like you gave me a blowjob in the name of science."

When Matt's eyes went wide and he started to smile, Bob added, "Not that I'd turn that down either. I'm just saying, a little snuggle doesn't bother me."

"Well, that is good to know," Matt said thoughtfully and started closing up Bob's arm. When he was done, he held Bob's mech hand in his and said, "All done. You can put your shirt back on now. Or, you know, leave it off. I don't suppose you need anything done to your leg while you're here? A little check-up to make sure all systems are in perfect working order?"

Bob glanced at his watch and winced when he saw the time. He reached for his shirt and started pulling it on. "Can't right now. I have to meet Brian in a few minutes to plan our next mission. But maybe I could swing back by after I'm done?"

"I meant what I said--anytime, day or night."

Matt watched Bob carefully and didn't smile until Bob nodded and said, "Then I'll see you later."

And then his smile nearly lit up the room.


End file.
